The downloads are a simple Adobe Illustrator file you can use as a starting point, or simply use as your logo. It’s probably not the best idea if you plan on becoming a Fortune 500 company eventually, because you won’t “own” the mark. But if you’re setting up a mom and pop shop it could work, and if nothing else seeing how a finished logo looks in Illustrator could be a great starting point for your own creativity.

It’s so 70’s it hurts, right? And there’s another one that looks like something from the cover of a Metallica album. You can explore so many other logo evolutions if you head over to Logopedia, a user-contributed site where people obsessively track down old logos so that you can explore them. Check out a few of your favorites and point out the best ones you find in the comments below, okay?

Speaking of famous logos: sometimes you might need to use them for your projects. Whether it’s a school project or the “Press” section of your webpage, Brands of the World is a quick way to find vector files with famous logos.

Simply heading to Google Image Search and downloading them gives you a mish-mash of different aspect ratios, so having one place to go for vector files is nice. Keep this one bookmarked in case you need it later.

Logos are cool, but branding goes beyond just iconography. A distinctive color helps companies stand out, and Brand Colors lets you explore how that works. On this site you can browse a variety of colors used by different companies to establish their brand.

This is interesting to browse, but also potentially useful if you’re looking to accurately mimic a brand for satire or any other purpose. Dive in.

And now for something completely different. If you live near a “cool” city, you might have noticed that several of the unique local businesses have logos that have the same 1890s aesthetic. Hipster Business Logo mocks this by letting you quickly make your own such logo.

It’s more of a jock than a useful tool, but taking just a few minutes to mimic an established style of logo is a pretty good joke. Give it a shot and let us know what you come up with, okay? Or, if you’re too lazy, try out Hipster Business Name – it generates a name and a logo for you in just one click, and even lets you buy the domain if you’re feeling impulsive.

What Is a Logo, Anyway?

What makes a logo valuable? This recent video from Vox explores the question, even pointing out how little the creator of the Nike swoosh was paid for her work.

What makes a logo valuable is, ultimately, the value of the company itself. You can’t create something and have it instantly become iconic. It’s a strange thing, isn’t it?

Let’s talk about this, and any other thoughts you might have about logos, in the comments below.

Justin Pot is a technology journalist based in Portland, Oregon. He loves technology, people and nature – and tries to enjoy all three whenever possible. You can chat with Justin on Twitter, right now.